An update on the Dubai Safari zoo

10,000 animals, a theatre that seats 1,000 people, air-conditioned rocks, and all open this year: here’s the latest on Dubai Safari zoo…

Construction on the huge Dubai Safari zoo project is chugging along at a solid pace, and the design for the main building in the zoo has just been revealed (pictured above).

The 10,000-animal-strong Al Warqa animal park, which is being touted as a Dhs1 billion project, will replace the much-derided Jumeirah Zoo and should be complete by the end of this year, with construction now 75 per cent complete.

A rendering of how the zoo will look from above

Lions, bears, monkeys, bats and South East Asian elephants have already arrived at the zoo, which is being built on top of a landfill site.

Interestingly, there will be air-conditioned rocks, chilled pools and misting machines built into the park to help keep the animals cool over the summer months.

“All the cats – lions, cheetahs and tigers – have air-conditioned areas, even the hyenas have got it in some areas,” Dubai Safari CEO Tim Husband told 7Days.

Other facts to know about the park…

– The fence around the safari park will be 3.7 kilometres long.

– There will be a large theatre in the zoo that seats 1,000 people – this stage will host shows featuring binturong (also known as a bear cat) and raccoons.

A binturong is closely related to a civet cat

– While initially there will be a safari village, an Arabian village, an Asian village and an African village, word is the park will also one day have an Americas and Australia exhibit.

– It will take about eight hours to take in the whole park, and there will eventually be a hotel on site.

– In total there will be four restaurants in the park, and one of them will look over the cheetah exhibit.

– The African area will have lions, gorillas, chimps, warthogs, antelope and a walk-through aviary.

– During the summer months the park will be open in the evening due to the heat.

The Dubai Safari’s layout

– The Arabic village will be divided into three environments – the desert, the mountains and the steppe (which means a large area of land that’s mostly treeless but has plenty of shrubs). This area will also feature Bedouin activities – including falconry and dog hunting.

– The African area will feature both a savannah and a rainforest, and there will also be a Safari Area where visitors can ride around in a safari car (that’s air conditioned) in a tour that takes about an hour.